AI generatedn° 314, latin america
Philipsburg, sint maarten.
For nomads who want a two-country one-island base with US-Europe flight connections, skip if you need cyclone-free addresses or if you can't psychologically commit to a high-hurricane zone.
- cost / mo
- $604
- internet
- 25 Mbps
- visa-free · eu
- 90 days
the scores
Four scores, seven components each.
Each ring is a weighted blend, click any of them to see the seven components that produce it.
your monthly budget
default $700–$4,500 range · drag to personalize
score priority
balanced weighting, cost 25%, infra 40%, lifestyle 35%
weighted blends of cost, internet, safety, climate, english, visa & social density. Default cost band: $700–$4,500/mo. 58% data coverage. Each ring is clickable, see exactly why a city scored what it did.
monthly cost · estimate
$604/mo
Component-level data not yet collected for this city.
in one sentence · curated
Hand-written by the ExpatWhy editorial team.
Philipsburg is the Dutch-side capital of a 34-square-mile island shared with France, Maho Beach planes, duty-free Front Street, and still rebuilding from Irma.
editorial
The case & the friction.
ExpatWhy editorial
The capital of Sint Maarten (population 1,300 in town, ~40,000 on the Dutch side) sits on a thin strip between Great Bay and the Great Salt Pond. The Caribbean guilder (XCG, replacing the ANG in 2025) is pegged 1.79:1 to USD; USD is the default working currency. The island is split, Sint Maarten on the Dutch southern half, Saint-Martin on the French northern half, no border controls, you cross by walking. Maho Beach next to Princess Juliana Airport is the global postcard where 747s pass 30 metres above sunbathers on approach. Front Street is duty-free retail; Boardwalk along Great Bay is the cruise-tourist spine.
Hurricane Irma in September 2017 made landfall as Category 5 with 295 km/h winds, it destroyed or damaged 90% of buildings on the island, killed 4, and the rebuild stretched into 2022. Hurricane season runs June through November and the island sits squarely on the high-strike northern arc. Dry season December to April, 26-30°C. Furnished 1BR in Philipsburg or Simpson Bay runs $1,300-2,400/month.
Visa: 30 days visa-free for most Western passports on the Dutch side, extendable to 180 days. Saint-Martin on the French side falls under Schengen rules, 90/180. No formal DNV. Internet is fibre 200-500 Mbps via TelEm. Dutch and English official on the Dutch side, French on the northern side.
verdict
For nomads who want a two-country one-island base with US-Europe flight connections, skip if you need cyclone-free addresses or if you can't psychologically commit to a high-hurricane zone.
work & connectivity
Getting work done.
work-friendly density · OSM
Untagged or thin for laptop work.
coworking spaces
0
wifi cafés
2
OSM tagging coverage in Latin America is uneven, real density is likely higher than shown. Cross-check on the ground.
In practice: Light infrastructure (0 coworking, 2 wifi cafés on OSM), bring a fast local SIM as your fallback, and pick accommodation with a proper desk.
© OpenStreetMap contributors · Overpass API · ODbL 1.0 · 2026-07-09
when to visit
Twelve months of weather.
best month
Mar
Visit in March, 26°C, only 24mm of rain.
Off-season November–December, monsoon brings 221mm/month, and hotel rates typically drop 20–40% from peak.
temperaturerainfallcurrent monthbest month
air quality · 12 months verified
When the air turns.
Hourly PM2.5 averaged by calendar month from Copernicus CAMS satellite data, window 2025-07-08 → 2026-07-07. WHO annual guideline is 5 µg/m³.
annual mean
6.9µg/m³
Good
worst month
Jun · 12 µg/m³
Good
cleanest month
Jan · 5 µg/m³
WHO target
annual swing
7 µg/m³
Stable year-round
Cleanest air in January (5 µg/m³); worst in June (12 µg/m³).
Annual mean is well within WHO targets, no special precautions needed.
Source: Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) via Open-Meteo Air Quality API · CC-BY 4.0. Modelled, not measured at a station: near coasts CAMS counts sea salt as PM2.5 and reads high against ground networks. Read the curve, not the absolute.
natural risk
The numbers other sites don't show.
seismic risk · 50 yr · 200 km
Low seismic exposure.
M5+ events
72
M6+ events
2
largest
M6.5
Largest recorded: M6.5 in 1985.
In practice: Real seismic exposure (72 M5+ and 2 M6+ in 50 years), long stays should factor in earthquake insurance, building age, and a basic preparedness kit.
Source: USGS Earthquake Catalog (public domain) · counted within 200 km, last 50 years.
tropical storms · 46 yr · 200 km
Moderate cyclone exposure.
named storms
55
cat 1+ hurricanes
21
In practice: 21 cat 1+ hurricanes in 46 years, late-summer travel carries real disruption risk; flexible booking pays for itself.
Source: NOAA IBTrACS v04r01 (public domain) · unique storm IDs within 200 km since 1980.
–Philipsburg is the Dutch-side capital of a 34-square-mile island shared with France, Maho Beach planes, duty-free Front Street, and still rebuilding from Irma.
quality of life
Sun for more than three thousand hours a year, almost no grey winter.
4,006
hours
Derived from ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis · 12-month sum
Velasco LGBT+ Policy Index
Asher & Lyric Index 2024
ERA5 reanalysis · 12-mo derived
derived from monthly rainfall
vs Berlin 09–17 · America/Lower Princes
–For nomads who want a two-country one-island base with US-Europe flight connections, skip if you need cyclone-free addresses or if you can't psychologically commit to a high-hurricane zone.
ExpatWhy editorial
what to know
Pros & cons.
pros
- Budget-friendly for solo nomads
- Low air pollution (annual PM2.5)
cons
- Slow average internet speeds
visa & stay
How long can you stay?
- digital nomad visa
- No, not yet
- visa-free for EU passport
- 90 days
- visa-free for US passport
- 90 days
visa figures as of August 2026 · verify with official immigration sources before traveling
before you go
What to plan around.
Drawn only from the verified figures on this page, the things worth knowing before you book.
Pronounced wet season
Rain peaks around Feb, Aug & Nov, up to 221 mm in the wettest month. Time a visit for the drier half of the year.
Seismically active region
2 quakes of M6+ within 200 km over 50 years (strongest M6.5). Know your building's earthquake rating before signing a lease.
Tropical storm exposure
21 hurricanes and 55 tropical storms passed within 200 km over 46 years. Avoid peak storm season and check that travel insurance covers weather disruption.
compare side-by-side
Philipsburg versus three popular alternatives.
you might also like
Where to go next.
Closer on the map, closer on the wallet, or closer on the way it feels.
closest on the wallet
Other budget cities, different continent.
Same band as Philipsburg, budget (under $1,500/mo), outside latin america.
asia
7.0Canggu, indonesia.
A budget asia option with a nomad-visa pathway.
asia
6.9Phu Quoc, vietnam.
A budget asia option with limited visa-free access.
asia
6.9Mui Ne, vietnam.
A budget asia option with limited visa-free access.
closest on the way it feels
Same wellbeing, different climate.
Cities that score like Philipsburg on quality-of-life but trade tropical for something else.
asia
8.9Naha, japan.
A budget asia option with workable visa-free EU access.
asia
8.4Osaka, japan.
A budget asia option with workable visa-free EU access.
asia
8.4Nikko, japan.
A budget asia option with workable visa-free EU access.
where Philipsburg ranks
Philipsburg also makes these lists.
frequently asked
Philipsburg, honest answers.
- How much does it cost to live in Philipsburg per month?
- Solo monthly burn in Philipsburg is estimated around $604, covering a central 1-bedroom, food, mobile, utilities, transit, and a small coworking allowance. This is a pipeline estimate; rent verified for cities marked with the ✓ badge.
- What visa do I need to live in Philipsburg?
- EU passports get 90 days visa-free; US passports get 90 days. Longer stays require a residence permit or remote-worker visa, verify at the country's official immigration site.
- How is the air quality in Philipsburg?
- Annual PM2.5 averages 7 µg/m³ (Copernicus CAMS satellite data), which above WHO target but moderate. The 12-month curve on this page shows the seasonal swing, many cities have a sharp burning season or winter inversion that doesn't show in the annual number.
- When is the best time to visit Philipsburg?
- Mar typically scores best on our combined comfort index, average temperature 26°C, low rainfall, high sunshine. Each city's Climate Chart on this page shows the full 12-month picture.
- Are there earthquakes in Philipsburg?
- Yes, the USGS catalog records 72 M5+ earthquakes and 2 M6+ within 200 km over the last 50 years. The largest was M6.5 in 1985. Modern buildings in major cities are engineered for this; factor it into long-stay decisions.
Every answer is built from this city's verified pipeline data, Copernicus CAMS, USGS, NOAA IBTrACS, country tax authorities, EF EPI, Asher & Lyric, OpenStreetMap. No marketing copy.
where it is
Philipsburg on the map.
Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Latin America.
18.0250, -63.0463
Map tiles & data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
primary sources · click to verify
Every number on this page comes from somewhere.
- ppp-estimate:region-base-rent (Latin America)
- internet-speed:regional-fallback (Latin America)
- NOAA IBTrACS· public domainTropical storms: NOAA IBTrACS v04r01 (public domain)
- Copernicus CAMS· CC-BY 4.0Air quality: Copernicus CAMS via Open-Meteo Air Quality API (CC-BY 4.0)
- OpenStreetMap· ODbL 1.0OpenStreetMap contributors (Overpass API, ODbL)
We aggregate from public primary sources only. Composite scores (nomad / solo / family / wellbeing) are derived using our own formula, see methodology. Full license map at /LICENSES.md.
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